Simon RushworthChris Young — Young Love & Saturday Nights (Sony Music Nashville)
Chris Young boldly describes his ninth studio album as ‘a little louder, a little more raw’.
And if we appreciate the effort, then let’s not kid ourselves.
This is less Chris Stapleton and Brothers Osborne and more like the chart-friendly fare served up by fast-rising label mates Restless Road.
But that’s no bad thing.
Young Love & Saturday Night is reassuringly accessible, mainstream country and it’s no surprise that the singalong title track has been bothering the Billboard and Mediabase top 40 as a favourite fast riser.
Most of the songs here mirror the perfectly crafted, polished, inoffensive soft rockers and dreamy ballads that have been Young’s stock in trade since he won reality TV show Nashville Star in 2006.
But it’s clear that the talented Tennessee native has been working overtime to hone his songwriting craft — his contribution to 15 of the 18 tunes here make this the most complete Chris Young record yet.
The largely immaculate Young Love A Saturday Nights is a shimmering, sugar-coated pitch for the big leagues.
It’s the record Young had to make before he hit 40.
And it just about keeps the Grammy nominated artist in the conversation when it comes to debating who’s going to be Music City’s next really big thing.
But despite Young’s claim to the contrary, the ballads don’t really ‘hit harder’ and the rowdy tunes aren’t much ‘more raucous’.
When Associated Press described the voice behind 13 number one singles as ‘one of his era’s finest traditionalists’ they hit the nail on the head.
And Young doesn’t need to ditch his most familiar traits at a time when it’s trendy to be harder (or HARDY), louder and faster.
Young at heart
In fairness to Young there are a few standout examples of an established trad country leader striving to push the envelope and stretch the boundaries.
Double Down leans on a funky bassline and the perfect soundtrack to your next Saturday night hoedown really hits the mark.
Drink To Remember introduces a neat little rock guitar riff that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Poison ballad back in the day.
And anthemic first pumper Right Now seeks to raise the roof with a beefy bridge that encourages Young to let rip.
But the fact remains that the best music here is what we’ve come to expect from a consummate performer who knows his market inside out.
Young might be seeking a more mature sound but there’s something to be said for playing to your strengths.
Getting Older is Young to a tee: evocative, retro-fuelled goodness beloved of his core demographic.
Country Boy’s Prayer is another classic example of the genre’s most familiar tropes celebrated in style.
And Everybody Grew Up is that familiar mix of nostalgia, regret and hope for the future that’s fuelled country music’s finest tunes for decades.
One track out from the finish, Young might claim to be Knee Deep In Neon but his best work’s still rooted in faded denim and scuffed boots.
And we’re just fine with that.
